**New video added 4/11
Ava ACCT-A-246231 is currently considered urgent and at risk of euthanasia due to behavioral concerns. Ava must have confirmed placement with a RESCUE PARTNER or EXPERIENCED ADOPTER by TUESDAY, APRIL 14TH at 10AM. Should Ava's medical or behavioral status change, her urgency and timeline for placement may also change.
Ava came to ACCT Philly as an owner surrender on March 28th because her owner of nearly ten years could no longer keep her due to a no-pets policy. According to her owner, Ava has always preferred a quiet home and her own space - she enjoys neck scratches on her own terms but does not like much handling, and has lived as the only pet throughout her life.
Ava is a cat who knows what she likes and needs time to feel safe. Staff who have spent quiet, patient time sitting with her have observed real moments of curiosity and softening - she will sniff and eat high-value treats, offer slow blinks, and settle when the environment around her stays calm. Her reactions are rooted in fear, and she does best with people who can read her signals and give her space to decompress on her own timeline. She is very vocal and communicates clearly when she is uncomfortable. She is currently on gabapentin to help manage her anxiety. Ava needs a very experienced adult-only home that understands fearful cats and can offer her the patience and quiet she needs to come out of her shell. Due to her behavioral concerns, Ava is urgently seeking placement with a rescue partner or experienced adopter.
VIDEOS:
Ava gently sniffs some treats: https://youtube.com/shorts/QSN2tQvTfm4?feature=share
Ava: https://youtube.com/shorts/4jdJE4jwIws?feature=share
Meet Ava: https://youtube.com/shorts/OGB-hoj-xcg?feature=share
BEHAVIOR NOTES:
Per staff 4/10: Ava spent most of her day relaxing behind a towel on her upper shelf and she was much less reactive to people walking by and looking in at her, sticking to growling and hissing. She would growl and hiss at me when I went to sit with her and talk to her, but didn't escalate to charging at me unless she saw my hands. I attempted to give her some chicken lickables treat on the end of a wand toy, but she smacked the toy wand and was not interested in the treat otherwise. She was unreactive when I threw hard treats onto her shelf and allowed me to adjust the towel blocking her from view with just some low growling.
Per staff 4/9: Spent some time sitting with on and off today. When I would approach she would typically growl, then hiss, then charge forward a half a step with a swat. As long as I stayed quiet and calm, she would retreat to her towel, her pupils would return to almost normal size, and she would stare at me with her tail flicking and licking her lips. If I made eye contact she would hold it, then give me a slow blink. As long as the room stayed quiet she would sniff the treats I threw in and even eat some of the higher value ones (hot dogs). She would bat and swat at the toy wand if I moved it in to try and push some of her food towards her, but when I left it laying she left it alone. One of the times I approached she fixated on my hand with hard eye contact and dilated pupils. She tracked my hand as I moved it around for a few minutes, but she did not escalate past growling. I eventually slipped my hand into my hoodie sleeve and she lip licked and retreated.
Per staff 4/2: I visited her yesterday and today - she is lunging, hissing and charging forward with wide dilated pupils. A visual barrier was placed over her kennel to reduce visual stimuli.
Per staff 3/28: Staff was placing the door on the carrier when the cat scratched her finger, then began hissing and trying to get out of the carrier.
Summary of owner surrender notes 3/28: The owner had Ava for 9.5 years. "She liked to be left alone she likes scratches under the neck, she does not like other affection and does not like being touched much. She is litter trained. She bit me when we played didnt hurt was light more playful. She likes yarn. She is defensive toward strangers. She likes a quiet house with maybe 1 or 2 people. She can only be solo. She loves scratching posts and her comfy cat bed.When asked about her reaction towards cats and dogs, the owner noted, "She likes being alone".
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Due to being significantly overcapacity with animals and higher than usual intake, extensions are unlikely to be granted. If you are interested in an animal please contact ACCT Philly immediately.
Due to limited space, timestamps may also be proceeded with early so it is imperative to let us know if you are considering adopting or tagging an animal.
ACCT Philly is located at 111 West Hunting Park Ave in Philadelphia. We are open for adoptions 7 days a week. Please visit www.acctphilly.org/adopt for details.
If you are a rescue interested in pulling this animal, please email our lifesaving team, or visit here if you are not currently a rescue partner: https://acctphilly.org/acct-philly-love-local-partnership-program/
Confirmed placement is considered a confirmation of an actual rescue pull. Possible placement, interested parties, and other "TBD" statuses are not considered confirmed and do not indicate an animal is no longer urgent.
All animals at ACCT Philly are from Philadelphia, as the only open-intake animal shelter in Philadelphia, we are not able to accept animals from outside of Philadelphia. ACCT Philly's Pennsylvania kennel license number is 08313.
NIPPY
Domestic Medium Hair
🇺🇸
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
female, medium, senior
Domestic Medium Hair
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
